Your top 5 and worst five gay bars you've been to and why...

Top1. Oilcan Harry's. Austin, Texas, great crowd. Best drinks anywhere and made with a sense of urgency.2. Twist, Miami, everything all in one3. Honeypot, Tampa, love the three story building, great drnks, dance floor and music.4. Gym bar, NYC, fun and friendly, 5. Lambda, Athens, Greece, the 4 or 5 stories were awing

Worst1. Garage, Norfolk, va, felt like I timewarped back to 1955, must be the only segregated gay bar I've ever seen, literally blacks on one side and whites on the other, small integrated section in the middle2. Flamingo, st Petersburg, fl, Huge crowd on Sundays especially for 55 and up and outrageous, a sad reminder of what we will all look like in 20-30 years3. Eagle, Washington, dc, creep and wreaked of body funk4. Bout time, Austin, tx, drag queens in wheelchairs, no kidding5. Missy b's, Kansas city, everyone just sits or stands around and does nothing

Worst (in no particular order)Bo's, Jacksonville Beach, FL: white trash, lesbians and drag queens are NOT a good combinationThe Embers, Portland, OR: divey and boring, another disappointing formula for a "gay" barRamrod, North Hollywood, CA: you'd think, with a promising gay name like "Ramrod" that the place would be full of hot fuckers and hot fuckees, but it was full of boring, bitter, old suburban queens who looked more like pervs and pedophiles than gay menLe Boy, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: filthy, hustlers, drugs and innocent people getting drugged and taken advantage of, uh NO!G.A.Y., Manchester, UK: unwelcoming (if you're not a "local" or "regular", overpriced Texas Lounge, Calgary, Canada: (yeah, this is the sixth, but couldn't not include it) tacky, no class whatsoever, and full of nothing but drunks, many of whom were simply taking a break from the adjacent bath houseThere are so many, but this is more than enough negative energy.

Best (again, in no order)Remmington's, Toronto, Canada: hot men performing, friendly to customers, really pleasant just-raunchy-enoughSilverado, Portland, OR: Pretty much same comment as Remmington's; great hot performers, friendly performers and staff, really enjoyable naughty timeBanana Cafe, Paris, France: really enjoyable themes and great crowd most any timeThe George and Dragon, London, UK: really full of character, friendly patrons, eclectic experiences in a very interesting settingBootrack, Jacksonville, FL: total dive, with sole focus on cock and ass, whichever you want, you're guaranteed to find it immediately

This is so funny. I went to the "Strawberry" in the 80s and "La Rose Rouge" where my favorite pea coat was stolen and finally, a couple years ago to a resort in the Poconos called " The Rainbow." Crossing the street from the nightclub to the hotel, a car careened by with one of the occupants yelling "you fag!"...lol, whatever.

Aristoshark saidAll the bars I really liked are long gone.My first gay bar was called the Candy Store on W. 56th Street. I was 15 but I easily passed for 18. The place was gaudy and full of sweater queens who looked at me and my friend Eric like the new meat we were.

My favorite hangouts in New York were Dick's (yes, really), South Dakota, and Splash (before it got all touristy). All gone. I also went with my show tune queen friends to 88s, Marie's Crisis, and Don't Tell Mama. 88s is gone; the other two may be also. I used to go to the Monster for a quick pick-me-up and pickup too; I always met the cutest flight attendants there. I think the airlines put a plug for the place in the flight attendant employee manual or something.

And the Saint and Limelight too. Jeez, there were so many once upon a time.

They just didn't care all that much if you were young and cute. I got in at 16 without showing an ID. Cat's Meow and Kismet . What names for queer bars!

Fun days in the early days of queerness and queeriosity Drinking age was 18 though, but that was supposed to be for 3.2 beer. All those bars are long gone, except that a famous bar (The Garage) from the late 70s through maybe 1990 or so just reopened.

I moved to LA in 1980 and the fun bar at that time was the Odyssey (across the street from where Beveley Center is now)

Queerness has become too mainstreamed and has taken the fun out of it versus when it was underground and secret. No fun for a contrarian these days.

mindgarden saidIf Silverado is in the top five, then I can give up on gay bars forever.

(OK, maybe the old Silverado, somewhat raunchier, but where there were crowds of people actually dancing, was exciting. Or maybe I was less jaded back then.)

Definitely "the old Silverado". That was a memory from '98, the last time there. No idea what it's become like in the past 15 years.

Oh, it's horrifying. The whole "gay ghetto" has been gentrified and most of the bars have moved to cheaper neighborhoods or disappeared. A 20-something story glass tower was built across the street. There's a pretentious restaurant where Silverado was and the nasty old bath house has become a boutique hotel. (Sometimes I feel like going in there with a friend while a bunch of yuppie families are eating dinner and loudly saying, "Oh yeah, remember? Right here was that row of dirty mattresses with drunk guys from the bar getting gang-banged!")

The "new" silverado is in a smaller space in old town. They still have the ear-bleeding loud sound system pumping out distortion and feedback so that you can't talk to anyone. Guys come out on stage in their underwear (some hot, some not) and just sort of stand there and wiggle. Fat and old guys stand around, drink beer, and stare at them. It's all kind of sad and creepy.

mindgarden saidIf Silverado is in the top five, then I can give up on gay bars forever.

(OK, maybe the old Silverado, somewhat raunchier, but where there were crowds of people actually dancing, was exciting. Or maybe I was less jaded back then.)

Definitely "the old Silverado". That was a memory from '98, the last time there. No idea what it's become like in the past 15 years.

Oh, it's horrifying. The whole "gay ghetto" has been gentrified and most of the bars have moved to cheaper neighborhoods or disappeared. A 20-something story glass tower was built across the street. There's a pretentious restaurant where Silverado was and the nasty old bath house has become a boutique hotel. (Sometimes I feel like going in there with a friend while a bunch of yuppie families are eating dinner and loudly saying, "Oh yeah, remember? Right here was that row of dirty mattresses with drunk guys from the bar getting gang-banged!")

The "new" silverado is in a smaller space in old town. They still have the ear-bleeding loud sound system pumping out distortion and feedback so that you can't talk to anyone. Guys come out on stage in their underwear (some hot, some not) and just sort of stand there and wiggle. Fat and old guys stand around, drink beer, and stare at them. It's all kind of sad and creepy.